EYE CONDITIONS WE TREAT
Nearsightedness
People with nearsightedness, also known as myopia, cannot see clearly at distance. Myopia occurs when the eyeball is too long or when the cornea (the clear part on the front of the eye) is too steep.
Farsightedness
People with farsightedness or hyperopia have a difficult time seeing clearly at near. Hyperopia or farsightedness occurs when the eyeball is too short or when the cornea (the clear part on the front of the eye) is too flat.
Astigmatism
When the cornea has two curvatures causing the eye to be shaped more like an oval or football, people have astigmatism. Astigmatism causes distortion of images due to unequal bending of light rays entering the eye. This causes blurred vision for both near and distant objects. Astigmatism can exist alone or in combination with either myopia or hyperopia.
Presbyopia
The eyes of a young person are capable of changing their focus from far to close to see well at almost any distance assuming they do not have myopia, hyperopia, and/or astigmatism.
For example, a 10-year-old with normal vision can see well far away, all the way to the end of their nose and anywhere in between. This ability to change focus from far to near (accommodation) is gradually lost with age so that around the early forties most people with normal distance vision begin having trouble seeing things close to them such as reading, sewing, computers, etc.
There is new surgical means of correcting this age-related loss of accommodation in addition to several multifocal contact lens designs.
Cataracts
A cataract is a clouding of the lens inside the eye. Cataracts are caused by normal aging, exposure to ultraviolet light, injury, or disease. Occasionally babies are born with cataracts. The most common cause is age with cataracts developing slowly after age 55.
The doctors in our practice care for our cataract patients only with Cincinnati’s most experienced and capable eye surgeons. The eye surgeons at Harper’s Point Eye Associates have been and will continue to be trusted to care for our own family members. Clearly, that means that we think that they are the best!
Chronic Dry Eye
Dry eye is associated with an underproduction of tears or more commonly a chemical imbalance of the tears themselves leading to premature evaporation. Left untreated Dry Eye has the potential to damage vision and effect our daily activities such as reading, driving, working, and wearing contact lenses.
Diabetic Eye Disease
Most of these serious complications can be prevented with aggressive and consistent management of diabetes.
Flashes and Floaters
Floaters: Particles that float in the vitreous and cause shadows on the retina. They are usually seen as small spots, cobwebs, or spiders. A common condition unless accompanied by flashes or seen as a ‘’shower” of particles.
Both of these conditions are, most often, a normal part of the aging process of the eye, but, in some cases, can be associated with a retinal tear or retinal detachment. We consider this to be an ocular emergency and, because of this risk, it is imperative that those who notice flashes or floaters contact our office immediately and have a thorough retinal exam with pupil dilation.
Glaucoma Testing and Treatment
Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness that affects more than three million Americans. It is a spectrum of diseases when increased pressure within the eye (intraocular pressure) and decreased blood flow damages the optic nerve. Often called the “the disease that robs vision in the night”, people with most forms of glaucoma do not have symptoms until the optic nerve is already severely damaged.
If diagnosed early and managed carefully, glaucoma can be controlled, and permanent vision loss can be prevented.
LASIK and Refractive Surgery
Laser vision correction is an out-patient surgical procedure that corrects vision problems using an excimer laser to recontour and alter the surface of the cornea. Laser vision correction is a treatment for a wide range of vision problems (nearsightedness, farsightedness, presbyopia and astigmatism).
Macular Degeneration
To better understand Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), its causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment, please see the National Eye Institute’s excellent AMD website.